It’s called horserace coverage, a term coined by journalists who cover elections. Horserace coverage stories are all about who’s ahead, who’s behind, and what are people going to do about that. It’s too bad this happens, because the really interesting part of the story is behind the numbers—why did people make the choices they made, and now that the choices have been made, what will they do next?
Horserace coverage is one of the many, many, many things that have been incorporated into college admissions that simply shouldn’t be there. Every spring, we are besieged with stories that, all in all, contribute nothing to the important work of young people deciding what their lives will look like after high school. If anything, these stories increase the likelihood that students will make decisions about their futures that are based on useless intelligence. Susie got into a college where the admit rate is less than getting struck by lightning? Well then, by all means, she needs to go there, since she is one of the chosen few.
I am one of those old school dogs who still believes that college choice is less about the college and more about, you know, the student. Admission gimmicks like Early Decision, Early Action, and Single Choice Early Action Do The Hokey Pokey are all designed to benefit the college. Still, there are some institutions where students who don’t play the Early game greatly handicap their chances of admission, so they have no choice but to give up at least part of the last summer of their precious youth to developing college admission “strategies” (another admissions aspect that has no business existing) in order to keep their options open—and, more important, keep their dreams alive.
All that stops today, as the final round of admissions decisions are released. For at least a couple of days, students can shed the weight of the odds, the rumors, and the scuttlebutt, and focus on the only thing that has really mattered—what’s next. Since they have been shouldered with excessive armor of all kinds since that last happened, here’s how to help them focus on the big, and only real, picture, as they consider the rest of their lives:
Review your list. All of it. At some point, you built a final list of colleges to apply to. Pull it out, and take at least five full minutes to look at the whole thing. This includes any colleges you’ve already heard from, including the ones who may have said no. Look, and think, about all of them.
Get behind the list. Once you’ve refreshed your memory of the entire list, ask yourself, Why these colleges? There’s a good chance you had different reasons to add some schools, which is both typical and more than OK. Remembering why is important.
Dump the strategic ones. Any schools you put on just because they were “safeties”, or because Mom and Dad wanted you to, or because your fall girlfriend applied there, are out. You want to keep one? Think of a quality of that college that appeals to you. Otherwise, buh-bye.
Now think qualities. Good college choices are based on what the college embodies. You like your best friend because they’re funny, approachable, and a good listener. What qualities exist at each of these colleges that make them as good a fit for you as your best friend?
The final question. Which of these colleges would be your best new best friend?
Do this, and your choice — and you — will be the winner. By a mile.
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